Văcăreşti Natural Park

Info

Văcăreşti Natural Park is located in Văcăreşti neighborhood in southeastern Bucharest.

You can access the park either in front of the Asmita Gardens Complex (pedestrian access) or from the Săvineşti Street (pedestrian and bicycle access).

The park’s observatory is located at 168 Splaiul Unirii, T 4, floor 17, ap 170. From here you can admire the beautiful view over the park.

The access is free but you need to schedule an appointment first.

The team of the Văcăreşti Natural Park Association organizes guided tours in the park for students.

Oficial site here.

Discover

In 1986, the Văcăreşti Natural Park was part of a project to create a lake on the Dâmboviţa River in order to protect Bucharest from future flooding. Since the fall of the communist regime in 1989, the huge project of the 190 ha lake was abandoned, leaving the whole Văcăreşti area in ruin for over 20 years. This allowed for a small delta to grow right in the middle of the city with flora and fauna specific to the wetlands. Therefore throughout the years many animals were seen in the Bucharest Delta such as otters, foxes and rabbits, but also many reptiles and bird species (almost 138 species) such as swans, egrets, cranes or wild ducks.

Now you can take a walk along the thematic route "The Urban Biodiversity Trail," with a length of 2.3 km, or a bike ride on the two routes "Belvedere" (on the pier) and "Among the ponds" (inside the park) which have a total length of 8 km.

Did you know?

The Văcăreşti Natural Park is the first natural urban area in Romania.

Conservation facts

The park, the youngest natural park in Romania (March 2016), is a protected area of scientific, educational and leisure importance. The park offers shelter to many animal and bird species, many of them being endangered.. At the same time, it is a stop area for many of migratory birds. Some of the major preservation problems are poaching, fires and the illegal disposal of garbage.